Cableway



June 24, 1952 N. s. BATEMAN 2,601,585

cABLEwAY Filed March 22, 1949 s sheets-sheet 2 l by Arromvsy IN VIA/Tam,

June 24, 1952 N. s. BATEMAN 2,601,585

cABLEwAY Filed March 22, 1949 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 A Tron/rf June 24, 1952 Ns BATEMAN 2,601,585

CABLEWAY Filed Ma'rch 22, 1949 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 A Trama-3s.

June 24, 1952 N. s. BATEMAN 2,601,585

`CABLEWAY Filed March 22, 1949 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 A Troie/msgs- PatentedJune 24, 1952 UNITED STATES CABLEWAY Norman S. Bateman, Toronto,Ontario, Canada,

assignor to Construction Improvements Limited, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,a company of Canada Application March 22, 1949, Serial No. 82,800

13 Claims.

This is a continuation in part of my application, Serial No. 721,023,iiled January 9th, 1947, and since forfeited. v

The invention relates to cableways of the general type in which somesort of carriage is arranged to be traversed between head and tailtowers, the carriage running on a cable and having a bucket or otherload-handling device suspended from it and the traversing of thecarriage and the raising and lowering or other manipulation of thesuspended, load-handling device being controlled, through cables, frommotors located at the head tower.

As is well known, the diiiculties arising from the unavoidable sag inthe cables led to the use of so-called fall-rope-carriers and buttonlines which, in turn, led to other diiiculties and complications, all ofwhich have been proposed to be met by what for convenience will betermed an endless line type of cableway. Since it is that type ofcableway with which the present invention is concerned, and also becauseit is not widely known, it will be briefly described as an aid to moreready understanding of the improvements later to be set forth.

In the endless line type of cableway as heretofore proposed, thecarriage was intended to be traversed by an endless conveying lineattached to opposite ends of the carriage, trained over suitable idlersheaves at the head and tail towers and operated by a motor-driven drumat the head tower. A second endless line (also trained over idlersheaves and operated by a motor-driven drum at the head tower) wasfrictionally coupled to a sheave mounted on the carriage, this lineserving as a power transmission line to rotate the sheave on thecarriage. This sheave, in turn, was the driver for a drum, also mountedon the carriage and serving to take up or let out a hoisting line (theactual load-supporting line) in accordance with* the rotation of thesheave. An

example of this type of cableway appears in Patent No. 1,934,478.

IOne of the primary objects of the invention is an improved cablewaycarriage of the endless line type especially adapted for two-lineoperation; that is to say, incorporating two sheaves and two hoistingdrums, each set having its own transmission line. Such an arrangement issuitable for dump bucket operation, one line, sheave and drumcontrolling the raising and lowering of the bucket, and the other line,sheave and drum controlling the opening and closing of the bucket.

The attempted operation of endless line type cableways, as heretoforeproposed, has encountered difculties which it is a further object ofthis invention to overcome. For instance, when the carriage is startedor stopped, it tends to oscillate relatively to the transmission line;also, even when not so oscillating, the traversing carriage tilts as itswheels follow the varying course of the track cable due to sag. Suchoscillation and tilting (which latter also accelerates wear of the trackcable) tend to effect at least a partial rotation of the carriage sheaveand drum. It will be apparent that when it is desired to use two endlesstransmission lines, two hoisting drums and two hoisting lines, one setfor affecting the raising and lowering of a dump bucket and the otherset for controlling the opening and closing of the bucket, any suchoscillation or tilting may result in premature, partial opening of thebucket.

It has been found that these diiliculties can be overcome successfullyby the use of a novel form of carriage structure. riage of thisinvention consists of two separate, articulated units, namely, a wheeledtruck unit and a hanger unit freely coupled to it by a single point,pivotal suspension. Preferably, and to secure the maximum advantages ofthe invention, the truck unit incorporates a number of relativelyfloating wheels running on the track cable, and has the ends of theendless conveying line attached to itz and the suspended hanger unitincorporates the sheave and hoisting drum elements which control theload-supportingl device which depends from the hanger unit. It hasbeendiscovered that by virtue of such an arrangement, wear on the trackcable is minimized, thev oscillation and tilting above mentioned areconfined to the truck unit, and the hanger unit is so stabilized by itsdepending load as to remain relatively steady Vat all times. In theresult, the ca rriage can be maneuvered at high speeds with the loadunder safe control at all times.

Another object of the invention is to sorelate the outgoing andreturnstretches of the endless transmission line that the inevitable sagin the return stretch, preferably supplemented' by suitable constanttension counterweights, will at all times tend to minimize thedevelopment of such slack in the other stretch of the line as mightinteriere with full power being transmitted tothe l transmission sheave.A further effect of kthis ar,-

rangement is that the transmission line return stretch will create anuplift on the carriage proportionate to the tension applied to the line.

A further object of the invention is so to control the return stretch ofthe conveying line that at all times the tensions set up in theconveying line will have the efect of creating an uplift which will actto reduce the vertical forces acting against the track cable.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthefollowing description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure lis a schematic side elevation of a cableway including atwo-transmission line carriage representing a Ypreferred embodiment ofthe invention adapted to operate a dump bucket;

Figure 2 isan enlarged perspective .View of the carriage and bucket;

In general, the car.

Figure` 3 is a side elevation of the carriage;

Figure 4- is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Figure3;

. Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Figure3;

Figure 6 is a broken-out perspective view of a single transmission linecarriage, showing the. hanger unit and a portion of the truck assembly;

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view through` the structure shown inFigure 6, the section being taken on the same line as is the sectionfl--II of Figure 3;

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional View through. Figure 6, taken on thesame line as the section 5--5 of Figure 3;

Figure 9 is a partial view in perspectiveshowing an` arrangement of loadcontrol lines adapted .to provide vertical two-line suspension;

Figure 10 is a broken-out perspective view of a modified structure inwhich a single load drum is supported centrally of the hanger unit; and

Figure 1l is an enlarged cross sectional View taken onthe line I I-I Iof Figure 10.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the variousgures.

Referring to the drawings and rst particularly to Figures 1 to 5inclusive, in which a complete embodiment of the invention is shown,there is provided a track cable A suitably suspended between head andtail towers I and 2, respectively, with any desired means being employedfor keepingsaid track cable taut.

B indicates the carriage, as a whole, which is adapted for movementlengthwise of the track cable and which, as above stated, consists of atruck unit C and a hanger unit D.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the truckunitincorporates a plurality of (meaning more than two), and preferably atleast four, two-wheeled components, each of which is capable of rockingwith respect to each of the others about a horizontal axis extendingtransversely of the track cable. Not only does such an arrangementspread the total load of the carriage over a greater length of cable,but it also tends .to minimize the oscillation of the truck unit asv awhole, in that the wheeled components are relatively floating and.impart a desirable degree yof flexibility to the truck unit, all to theend of securing maximum stability for the hanger unit .of the carriage.

More specically, the truck unit C in this ernbodiment of the inventionconsists of four twowheeled trucks 3, 4, 5 and 6 respectively, eachhaving opposedy inverted-triangular-shaped side plates 1 and 3 pivotednear opposite top ends to the wheel axles and provided near their apiceswith aligned openings for the reception of a bearing pin 9 about theaxis of which each truck is free to rock.

Adjacent pairs of bearing pins 9 are located at the remote corners ofinverted-triangular-shaped beam members (herein for conveniencedesignated secondary beams) each of which consists of pairs of sideplates III, II. Like the side plates "I, 8, these secondary beams areprovided near their apices with aligned openings to receive a bearingpin I2 about the axis of which each secondary beam is free to rock.Bearing pins I2, in turn, are located at the remote ends of a primarybeam which consists of side plates I3, i4. It will be recognized thatsuch an arrangement of floating wheeled units accommodates itselfreadily to the track cable.

' The hanger unit of the carriage, herein of gem be employed betweenframe members to further increase rigidity of the hanger unit frame.

In accordance with the invention, the hanger unit is freely suspendedfrom the truck unit, being coupled to it at the apex of the hanger unitsolely by a single point, pivotal connection such as the pivot pin I3which extends through the hanger unit side members and, midway of theirlengt4h, through the primary beam side plates I3, I

With a two-unit carriage structure so articulated, the hanger unit isfound to possess remarkable stability or steadiness, even in the courseof high speed operation of the cableway and, with its suspended load, topartake of none of the objectionable rocking and tilting which ischaracteristic of single unit, rigid carriages.

A frame comprising side members 20 and 2| supported by the respectiveside members I3 and I4 which constitute the primary beam, rises fromsaid beam in converging relation to a point centrally of the carriageand above the truck asnections at its one end through a connector 24awith the truck unit C, from which it is trained over an idle sheave 25on the head tower and extends downwardly around the reversible drum 26of the hoist engine, thence upwardly and around an idler sheave 21 onthe head tower from which it runs above the track cable A towards thetail tower 2, thence downwardly around a pulley 21a suitably supportedfrom said tail tower and returns to the carriage and is attached to theconnector Zlib extending toward the corresponding end of the truck unit,so as to provide a substantially endless line motivated by the hoistengine through the drum 25. Any suitable means may be employed fortensioning the conveying line between the carriage and the tail tower.

The conveying line in its stretch between the sheave 2T and the headtower sheave 21a is unsupported and is passed beneath the idler sheave23, which latter is positioned on a lower plane than the sheaves 27 'and27a, whereby the tensions set up in the conveying line will create anuplift against the sheave 23 carried by the carriage which will have theeiiect of reducing the vertical forces acting against the track cable.

Journaled in the hanger unit are two parallel 'trains of wire ropetransmission sheaves, the

one train comprising three edgewise aligned sheaves 28, 29 and 3E), andthe other train oomprising the three edgewise aligned sheaves 3I, 32 and33.

The individual sheaves of each train are so arranged in relation tothose of the other train as to provide three pairs of horizontallyaligned sheaves, each pair comprising one sheave of each train ofsheaves, and these three pairs oi sheaves are mounted on tubular shafts34. 35 and 38, respectively, extending transversely of the carriage andsupported at their ends by suitable pins 3? xed to and extendinginwardly from the respective sides of the carriage frame.

"5 Each sheave is provided with peripheral teeth 38 constituting gearsand the sheaves of each train of sheaves are preferably arranged in suchrelation to each other that together they form Aa substantial trianglein side elevation, with the uppermost sheaves of each Ltrain (28 and ofone train and 3| and 33 of the other train) spaced from one another andwith the gears of such upper, or endmost, sheaves of each train meshingwith the gears ofthe lowermost, or central, sheave of the same train. Inother words the sheaves. of each train are geared successively from oneend sheave to the other through the lower, or central, sheave but thetwo endmost sheaves are not geared to one another.

The sheaves mounted on the shafts 34 and are so related to said shaftsthat one sheave of said pair on a shaft is fixed to the shaft to turntherewith While the other sheave on the same shaft is freely rotatablethereon and the v sequence is reversed on successive shafts from theendmost so that where the sheave 3| of one train of sheaves is free torotate on the shaft 34 the sheave 28 ofthe opposed train rotates withthe shaft, while the sheave 29 of the same train as the sheave 28 isfree on the shaft 35 and the opposed sheave 32 trained with the freerunning sheave 3| on the shaft 34 is ixed to its shaft 35.

The sheaves 3D and 33 are freely rotatable on their shaft 36. v As thesheaves of each train of sheaves are of equal diameter their speed ofrotation will be equal and each will Iassist in transmitting the powerof the transmission lines.

The shafts 34 and 35 are provided with xed sprockets 39 and 40respectively located within the frame member of the hanger unit atopposite sides of the unit.

4| and 42 are drums rotatably mounted within the frame Il of the hangerunit rearwardly and forwardly respectively of the paired sheaves-29 and32, on shafts 42a and 43, respectively, which shafts carry xed sprockets44 and 45, respectively.

The drum 4| to which is connected a line 4G, is operatively connected tothe shaft 35 at opposite ends of the latter through the medium of thesprocket chains 4l connecting the sprockets 44 of the shaft 42a with thesprockets 48 of the shaft 35, so that on rotation of said shaft 35 dueto the rotation of the sheave 32 the said drum 4| will be rotated in alike direction to wind the line around the said drum, or to pay it outfrom the drum, according to the direction of rotation of the sheave 29.

The drum 42 to which is connected the line 4Q is operatively connectedto the shaft 34 at opposite ends of the latter through the medium oi'the sprocket chains 41a connecting the sprockets 45 of the shaft 43 withthe sprockets 39 of the shaft 34, so that on the rotation of the saidshaft 34 due to the rotation of the sheave 23 the said drum 42 will berotated in a like direction to either wind the line 48 around its drumor;l to pay it out, according to the direction of rotation of the sheave28.

In the embodiment of the invention now being described the line 45 isshown as that employed to raise or lower a bucket 49 and for thispurpose the pulley 5D of said bucket rides on the said line and the endof said line which extends from the drum 4| has connection with theframe I1 at the end of the latter which is farthest removed from saiddrum, as shown at 5|, so that saidr bracket will ride in the bight ofthe line 46 whereby the vertical pull of any load will at all times acton a plane through the vertical axis of the hanger unit.

The line 48 is represented as that employed to control the opening andclosing of the jaws of the bucket 49, through its cooperation withsuitable mechanism carried by the said bucket and acting directly onsaid jaws, and to this end said line extends through said bucket inproper operative engagement with said jaw control mechanism and has itsfree end extended upwardly and attached to the end of the frame Ilopposite to that at which the drum 42 vis located, as shown at 52.

.show the lines 46 and 48 directed therethrough.

53 is an endless transmission line, or rope,

.through the medium of which the sheave 28 is rotated to cause rotationof the drum 42.

The transmission line 53 winds around the hoist drum 54 to provide therequired friction to properly move the line and then extends upwardlyand around the sheave 55, carried by the head tower, from whence itextends over the transmission sheave 3U, under and around the sheave 29and thence over the sheave 28, from whence it extends to and over asheave 56 carried by the tail tower and thence downwardly and around atension sheave 5l carrying a suitable counterweight 58, thence upwardlyand over an idler sheave 59 on the head tower. From here it doubles backand returns, above the track cable, to the head tower and over thesheave 69 of said head tower and thence downwardly to the hoist drum 54.

It will thus be seen that on the movement of the line 53 towards thehead tower the sheave 28 will be rotated'counter-clockwise and as thissheave is keyed to the shaft 34 the said shaft will be rotated andthrough its sprocket and chain connection with the shaft 43 whichcarries the drum 42 the said drum will be rotated in a direction to windthe line 48 therearound to open the bucket. Owing to the fact that theother sheaves 29 and 30 of the same train of sheaves in which the sheave28 is connected, are free on their shafts 35 and 35 said shafts will notbe affected and consequently the rotation of the sheaves of this trainwill not aect the drum 4|. Movement of the transmission line in theopposite direction will of course result in rotation of the drum 42 inthe direction to cause the line 48 to be unwound from the` drum 42 toclose the' bucket. v

6| (Figure 2) is an endless transmission lineby means of which the drum4| controlling the movement of the line 46 is moved in either direction.The transmission line 6| has frictional engagement with the engine hoistdrum 62 from whence it extends upwardly around a suitable guide sheavecarried by the head tower and thence to the carriage where it extendsover the transmission sheave 33, under the transmission sheave 32 andupwardly over the transmission sheave 3|, from which it passes to anidler'sheave 'carried by the tail tower and thence downwardly beneath atension sheave provided with a suitable counterweight, and then upwardlyand over a 'guide sheave carried by the tail tower from which in itsreturn stretch it returns above the track cable to the head tower andaround a guide .accises sheave carried thereby.. from whence it returnstoI the hoist drum 62. Owing to the fact that the transmission line 6|and its various guide sheaves and constant tension counterweight lie on`the same horizontal plane as the line 53 and its guide' sheaves andcounterweight, those of the said line 6| do not appear in the drawings.but it is not thought necessary to show same as the arrangement will bereadily understood from the description herein.

When the transmission line 6| is drawn, through the operation of the.engine drum E2, towards the head tower the sheaves 3| and 33 which arefree on their shafts 34 and 35 will be rotated but will not causerotation of the shaft 34 to affect the drum 42, but the shaft 35 towhich the sheave 32 is keyed will be rotated and the rotation of thisshaft 35 will, due to the chain and` sprocket connection between it andthe shaft 42a, cause the drum 4| to be rotated in a direction to causethe line 48 to be wound around the drum 4I to raise the bucket. Movementof line 6| in the opposite direction will of course result in rotationin the opposite direction to lower the bucket.

Movement of the transmission line 53 in a direction away from the headtower, either while the line 6I is inactive, or at a lesser speed thansaid line, will of course cause a lowering of the line 48 and thereforepermit of the jaws of the bucket opening to release the load.

The return stretches of the endless transmis- 4sion lines 53 and 6|running between tail and head towers are unsupported and the weight ofthese parts of thel lines combined with the pull ofthe constant tensioncounterweights will at all times automatically provide in the other`stretches of the respective lines constant tension suicient to insurethe full power on said other stretches, or tension sides, of the linesbeing communicated to the transmission sheaves, whether the carriageshould be stationary or moving at any speed in either direction.Furthermore the weight of the unsupported portions of the returnstretches of the lines will create an uplift on the carriageproportionate to the -tension applied to the lines.

It will have been noted that there are two separate transmission lines,or ropes, each controlling the rotation of a travelling drum and eachhaving its power communicated to its drumv by a train of transmissionsheaves, and further that as each transmission line and the conveyingline is operatively connected to its own individual fdrum of thehoisting engine it is apparent that the different transmission lines andthe convey'- ing line may be operated at like, or different speeds, atwill, by the simple provision of means for rotating the drums' of the'hoisting engine at different speeds and while the present disclosedinvention does not deal with the particular method; of impartingrotation to the different engine drums at varying speeds it does assumeto provide a carriage including independently operated drums which maybe rotated in either direction at variable speeds while the carriagewould be stationary, or would be traversed in either direction, andwhich will operate smoothly 4and emciently under the proportionatelyvary- -ing speeds at which the diierent parts may be driven. 1 Theoperation of the embodiment of the invention described thus far,assuming that the various cables have been reeved through the carriage.thea-head and tailtowers and the en- 3|) and their chain and sprocketconnections with the drum 42, to be wound around said drum 42, thusdrawing on the said line 48 and causing the jaws of the bucket to close.It is now required that the load be raised and this is accomplished bycausingv the transmission line 6| to be moved in the direction towardsthe head tower to cause the rope 46 through the association of the gears3||,v 32 and 33 and the chain and sprocket connection with the drum 4|,to be wound around said drum 4| until the load has been raised therequired height, upon which the movement of the said transmission linelis halted. The carriage may be caused to commence its traversing coursealong the trackway A at any time after the jaws of the bucket have beenclosed about the load, and this is brought about by simply causing thetraversing line 24 to be operated in the desired direction. Thus theproportionate hoisting and traversing speeds may be regulated at willsimply by controlling the speeds of the engine drums, thus permitting ofthe attainment of the highest practical lifting speed of the load inhand and the highest practical traversing speed irrespective of theWeight of the load. Of course if the traversing line be rotated in thesame vdirection as the transmission lines and simultaneously with them,the carriage will travel inthe direction of the pull and the drums 4|and 42 will then have no motion provided that all lines have identicalspeeds. If the speed of. one or both transmission lines were increasedor decreased from that of the traversing line lthe carriage drum, ordrums, would rotate in either a positive or negative direction, at aspeed proportionate to the increase or decrease with respect to thetraversing line.

As the carriage nears the load dropping point the load can be lowered'bysimply causing the movement of the transmission line 6| in the directionto cause the drum 4| to pay out the hoisting line 43 and, when desired,either during the lowering of the load or subsequently the jaws of thebucket may be opened to release the load by causing movement of thetransmission line 53 in the direction to cause the drum 42 to pay outthe line 48 to permit of the opening of the jaws of the bucket throughthe operation of the means provided therefor which is controlled by saidline 48.

It is apparent that under the inuence of the load the inclination of thetrack cable will vary continually as the carriage moves lengthwise ofsaid cable. However, this deviation of the track cable from thehorizontal and the continually varying degree of such deviation will notcause any deviation of the hanger unit from the vertical nor will it inany way cause movement of the transmission lines orthe sheavescontrolled thereby, owing to the fact that the hanger unit has only asingle point, pivotal connection with the primaryV beam and the saidprimary beam in turn has floating connection with the trucks through aseries of single point pivotal connections.

In. Figures 6 to 8 inclusive the. .inYQIlQn--gs of raising or loweringsame.

In this case a single train of transmission sheaves is employedcomprising the sheaves 63, 64 and 65 mounted on rotatable shafts 66, 61and 68 respectively and the sheaves are geared together successively inthe train, according to the arrangement and gearing of the sheaves 28,29 and 30. An endless transmission line 69 frictionally coupled to thesheaves of the train and to a drum of the stationary hoist providesmeans for operating the sheaves in either direction.

Drums and 1| are mounted forwardly and rearwardly respectively of thesheave 64I and each has an end of a hoisting line 12 secureld theretowhereby rotation of said drums in opposite directions will cause theends of said line to be wound around, or payed out from, said drums,according to the direction in which said drums are rotated.

A suitable fall block 13 depends from the bight ofthe hoisting line 12and carries a hook 14, or other suitable means for engaging the load tobe raised or lowered.

Coincident rotation of the drums 16 and 1| in opposite directions isaffected by means of sprocket chains 15 and 15 respectively, the chain1,5 connecting the sprocket 11 fixed to the shaft 66 to which the sheave63 is secured with the sprockets 1S fixed to the drum 1|! and thechain16 connecting the sprockets 19 xed to the shaft.

61 to-which the sheave 64- ris secured with the sprockets 80 fixed tothe drum 16.

It will thus be seen that when it is desired to raise a'load to whichthe fall block 13 isconnected itis simply necessary to cause the lowerstretch ofthe endless transmission line 69 to be moved, through themedium of the engine hoist drum with which it is coupled, in a directiontowards the head tower, thus rotating the sheaves 63 and 64 whichthrough their connections-with the drums 18 and 1| respectively willcause saiddrums to rotate in opposite di,- rections and wind the ends ofthe hoisting line 12 therearound. Movement of the transmission line inthe opposite direction will cause coincident rotation of the drums 10and 1| in opposite directions to cause the hoisting line to be-payed outand thus lower the fall block 13 and its load.

It will be noted that in all cases the size ofl the sprockets may varyin accordance with theV ratio that may be required under varyingconditions for reduction of revolutions per minute between thetransmission sheaves and the drums, and that any other suitablearrangement to alterthis ratio may be employed, whereby a practicalhoisting speed in relation to the traversing speed may be attained in asimple manner.

In Figure 9 a modified arrangementof the load control lines of atwo-transmission line carriage is shown whereby to provide verticaltwo-line suspension.

In this embodiment the arrangement and operation of the various loadcontrol drums, sheaves, and transmission lines is as shown yin Figures 1to 5 so that the lines 46 and 48 may be Wound around, or payed outlfromtheir respective drums 4| and 42 coincidently, or independently ofone another at like or different speeds.

In this modified embodiment a pair of idle pulleys 8| and 82 aresupported for rotation 10 in edgewise spaced relation to one anotherlengthwise of the carriage directly beneath the sheaves 29 and 32 midwayof the length of the hanger unit and with their axes of rotationparallel to that of the drums 4| and 42.

The lines 46 and 48 are extended inwardly and over the respectivepulleys 87| and 82 from which they extend downwardly in slightly spacedrelation to one another to the load-handling device 83, which in thisinstance is shown as being a dump bucket having the usual jaws 84 and 85adapted to be opened and closed as required.

The line 46 in this embodiment is intended to control the opening andclosing of the jaws of the bucket and for this purpose has connectionwith suitable jaw operating mechanism carried by the bucket. This jawoperating mechanism is not shown in detail as same does not constitute afeature of the present invention.

The line 48 is shown as being attached to the top of the bucket wherebyto serve as the hoisting line.

It is obvious that there are many ways by which the pulleys 8| and 82may be supported but tor purposes of illustration one means is showncomprising frame members 86 and 81 extending downwardly from oppositesides of the frame |1 converging to slightly spaced relation to oneanother centrally of the hanger unit to provide spaced members 88 inwhich the axles of said pulleys are journaled.

In Figures 10 and 11 a modified embodiment cf a single transmission linecarriage is illustrated in which a single load drum with fleeting meansis shown as a substitute for the load drums 18 and 1I, with appropriatemeans whereby the substitution may readily be made.

In this modification the construction and arrangement of the sheaves isidentical to that shown in Figure 6 but the load drums 10 and 1| areomitted and the single load drum 89 is located in the longitudinalcentre of the carriage frame beneath the centre sheave 64. This drum 89has its shaft journaled at opposite ends, as shown at 9U, in a sub-frame9| which is preferably attached for quickremoval at its ends to 'themain frame part |1 of the hanger unit by means of the bolts 92 so thatit can conveniently be removed and the load drums 10 and 1| mounted inthe frame in place thereof.

The load drum 89 is driven by a chain 93, or chains, connecting thesprocket 19 on the shaft 61 of the sheave 64 and the sprocket 94 carriedby said load drum. In this manner rotation of the loady drum in eitherdirection can be effected by movement of the transmission line 69 in therequired direction. The hoisting line 95 which has its one end attachedto the drum 89 and its other end attached to one end member of the framepart |1 is trained from said drum towards that end ofthe carriage whichis opposed to that to which the line is connected and extends over afleeting sheave 96 between which latter and the frame end to which theline. is attached said line n drops to provide a bight in which the fallblock 13 is adapted to ride.

The fleeting sheave 96 slides on a shaft 81- movement of the sheavetransversely of the carriage to that necessary to the reversal of theline in the winding operation.

It 'Will be 4understood that in each of the modied forms illustrated inFigures 6 to l1, the truck units and the suspension of the hanger unitsmay be, and preferably are, as described in connection with the form ofthe invention shown in Figures 1 to 5, with all the advantages as abovepointed out.

While I have shown and described herein the present preferred forms ofconstruction for carrying out my invention, these are capable ofvariation and modication Without departing from the spirit of theinvention. I, therefore, do not Wish to be limited to the precisedetailsof construction set out herein, but desirelto avail myself ofsuch variations and modifications as come within the scopey of theappended claims.

' What I claim is:

1. In a. cableway of the kind including a track cable, a carriageincorporating a load drum and a sheave for operating the drum, andendless conveying and transmission lines for 'traversing the carriageand operating the sheave, respectively: the carriage comprising aprimary beam member, secondary beam members spaced apart aboveand eachhaving a single point, pivotal connection with the primary beam member,at least four two-Wheeled trucks for riding the track cable, each truckhaving a single point, pivotal connection with one of the secondary7beam members, an idler sheave for riding the return stretch of theconveying line, a support for such idler sheave mounted on the primarybeam member, connections at opposite ends of the primary beam member forthe ends of a conveying line, and a hanger structure suspended from andhaving a single point, pivotal. connection with` the primary beammember, the axis of Said connection being normal to a vertical planepassing through the track cable and a load drum and sheave mounted onsaid suspended hanger structure.

2. In a cableway of the kind including a track cable, a carriageincorporating a load drum and a sheave for operating the drum, andendless l conveying and transmission lines for traversing the carriageand operating the sheave, respectively: the carriage comprising aprimary beam member, secondary beam members spaced apart above and eachhaving a single point, pivotal connection with the primary beam member,at least four two-wheeled trucks for riding the track cable, each truckhaving a single point, pivotal connection with one of the secondary beammembers, and a hanger structure suspended from and having a singlepoint, pivotal connection with the primary beam member, the axis of saidconnection being normal to a vertical plane passing through the trackcable and a load drum and sheave mounted on said suspended` hangerstructure.

3. In a cableway of the kind including a track cable, a carriageincorporating a load drum and a sheave for operating the drum, andendless conveying and transmission lines for traversing the carriage andoperating the sheave, respectively: the carriage comprising a Wheeledtruck unit adapted to ride the track cable, an idler sheave for ridingthe return stretch of the conveying line, a support for such idlersheave mounted on the truck unit and extending above the Wheels thereof,a hanger unit suspended from the truck unit by a single point, pivotalconnection, and a load drum and sheave mounted on the said hanger unit.

4. In a cableway of the kind including a track cable, a carriageincorporating a load drum and a sheave for operating the drum, andendless conveying and transmission lines for traversing the carriage andoperating the sheave, respectively: the carriage comprising a pluralityof two-Wheeled trucks and a frame structure uniting and suspended fromthe trucks, each truck having a pivotal connection with the framestructure permitting the trucks to rock individually in the plane of thetrack cable, connections at opposite ends of the frame structure for theends of a conveying line, a hanger unit depending from and having asingle point, pivotal connection with the truck frame structure, theaxis of said connection being normal t0 a vertical plane passing throughthe track cable, a pair of load drums mounted on the hanger unit, sheavetrains for operating said drums, and endless transmission linesindividual to said sheave trains.

5. In a cableway of the kind including a track cable, a carriageincorporating a load drum and a sheave for operating the drum, andendless conveying and transmission lines for traversing the carriage andoperating the sheave, respectively: the carriage comprising a pluralityof two-wheeled trucks and a frame structure uniting and suspended fromthe trucks, each truck having pivotal connection with the framestructure permitting the trucks to rock individually in the plane of thetrack cable, a hanger unit depending from and having a single point,pivotal connection with the truck frame structure, the axis of saidconnection being normal to a vertical plane passing through the trackcable, and a load drum and sheave mounted on the hanger unit.

6. In a cableway of the kind including a track cable, a carriageincorporating a load drum and a sheave for operating the drum, andendless conveying and transmission lines for traversing the carriage andoperating the sheave, respectively: the carriage comprising a Wheeledtruck unit adapted to ride the track cable, a hanger unit suspended fromthe said truck unit by a single point, pivotal connection, the conveyingline being secured to opposite ends of the truck unit and a load drumand sheave mounted on the hanger unit.

7. In a cableway of the kind including a track cable, a carriageincorporating a load drum and a sheave for operating the drum, andendless conveying and transmission lines for traversing the carriage andoperating the sheave, respectively: the carriage comprising a pluralityof two-Wheeled trucks and a frame structure uniting and suspended fromthe trucks, each truck having a pivotal connection with the framestructure permitting vthe trucks to rock individually in the plane ofthe track cable, a hanger unit depending from and having a single point,pivotal connection with the truck frame structure, the axis of saidconnection being normal to a vertical plane passing through the trackcable, a pair of drums mounted in said hanger unit, endless powertransmission lines individual to said drums, and means including sheavetrains for transmitting the power from said transmission lines to saiddrums whereby said drums may be rotated in either direction at variablespeeds either while the carriage is stationary or is traversing ineither direction.

8. In a cableway of the kind including a track cable, a carriageincorporating a load drum and a sheave for operating the drum, andendless conveying and transmission lines for traversing the carriage andoperating the sheave, respectively: the carriage comprising a pluralityof two-wheeled trucks and a frame structure uniting and suspended fromthe trucks, each truck having a pivotal connection with the framestructure permitting the trucks to rock individually in the plane of thetrack cable, a hanger unit depending from and having a single point,pivotal connection with the truck frame structure, the axis of saidconnection being normal to a vertical plane passing through the trackcable, a pair of drums mounted in said hanger unit, endless powertransmission lines individual to said drums, load control linesindividual to said drums, idle pulleys positioned beneath and insubstantially the longitudinal centre of said hanger unit receiving saidload control lines and directing same downwards in spaced relation toone another, and means including sheave trains for transmitting thepower from said transmission lines to said drums.

9. In a cableway of the kind including a track cable, a carriageincorporating a load drum and a sheave for operating the drum, andendless conveying and transmission lines for traversing the carriage andoperating the sheave, respectively: the carriage comprising a pluralityof two-wheeled trucks and a frame structure suspended from the trucks,each truck having a pivotal connection with the frame structureperinitting the trucks to rock individually in the plane of the trackcable, a hanger unit depending from and having a single point, pivotalconnection with the truck frame structure, the axis of said connectionbeing normal to a vertical plane passing through the track cable, ahoisting drum and a load grip control drum mounted in said hanger unit,ropes individual to said drums, a pair of sheave trains in said hangerunit, an endless transmission line for each said sheave trains, anddriving connections between said sheave trains and said drumsrespectively.

10. In a oableway of the kind including a track cable, a carriageincorporating a load drum and a sheave for operating the drum, andendless conveying and transmission lines for traversing the carriage andoperating the sheave, respectively: the carriage comprising a wheeledtruck unit adapted to ride the track cable, a hanger unit suspended fromthe said truck unit by a single point, pivotal connection, the conveyingline secured to opposite ends of the truck unit, a pair of drums mountedin said hanger unit, ropes individual to said drums, a pair of sheavetrains arranged in parallel in said hanger unit on shafts individual tothe respective pairs of horizontally aligned sheaves, one pair ofsheaves being free on its shaft and the remaining pairs of sheaves beingso arranged that the one side sheave only of one pair of sheaves isfixed to its shaft and the other side sheave only of the next pair ofsheaves is fixed to its shaft, means operatively connecting the fixedsheaves with said drums respectively, and an endless transmission linefor each sheave train.

11. In a cableway of the kind including a track cable, a carriageincorporating a load drum and a sheave for operating the drum, andendless conveying and transmission lines for traversing the carriage andoperating the sheave, respectively: the carriage comprising a wheeledtruck unit adapted to ride the track cable, a hanger unit suspended fromthe said truck unit by single point, pivotal connection, the conveyingline being secured to opposite ends of the truck unit, a pair of drumsmounted in said hanger unit, ropes individual to said drums, a pair ofsheave trains arranged in parallel in said hanger unit on shaftsindividual to the respective pairs of horizontally aligned sheaves, onepair of sheaves being free on its shaft and the remaining pairs ofsheaves being so arranged that the one side sheave only of one pair ofsheaves is xed to its shaft and the other side sheave only of the nextpair of sheaves is xed to its shaft, means operatively connecting thefixed sheaves of the sheave trains with the respective drums, and anendless transmission line for each sheave train operable throughvariable speed driving means in either direction to cause rotation ofsaid drums at like or different speeds.

12. In a cableway of the kind including a track cable, a carriageincorporating a load drum and a sheave for operating the drum, andendless conveying and transmission lines for traversing the carriage andoperating the sheave, respectively: the carriage comprising a wheeledtruck unit adapted to ride the track cable, a hanger unit suspended fromthe said truck unit by a single point, pivotal connecti-on, theconveying line being secured to opposite ends of the truck unit, a pairof drums mounted in said hanger unit, fall ropes extending from therespective drums and having their free ends suspended from the hangerunit, a pair of sheave trains arranged in parallel in said carriage,shafts individual to the respective pairs of horizontally alignedsheaves, one pair of sheaves being freely rotatable on their shaft andthe remaining pairs of sheaves each having one of its sheaves fixed toits shaft and its other sheave free on its shaft, the fixed sheave ofone pair of sheaves being in one train and the iixed sheave of the otherpair of sheaves being in the other train, means operatively connectingsaid fixed sheaves with the respective drums, and a transmission linefor each of said sheave trains whereby to eifect rotation of said drumsindependently of one another.

13. In a cableway including head and tail towers, a track cablesuspended between said head and tail towers, a carriage comprising awheeled truck unit adapted to ride the track cable, a conveying line fortraversing said carriage along said track cable, an idler sheave forriding the return stretch of the conveying line, a support for saididler sheave mounted on the truck unit and extending above the wheelsthereof, a hanger unit suspended from the truck unit by a single point,pivotal connection, a. pair of drums mounted on said hanger unit,sheaves mounted on said hanger unit, and endless transmission linesengaging said sheaves for operating said drums, the return stretches ofsaid transmission lines running over idle sheaves supported by said headand tail towers, respectively, above the return stretch of saidconveying line and being unsuplported between the last mentioned idlesheaves.

NORMAN S. BATEMAN,

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ile ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 516,864 Hulett Mar. 2i), 1894566,849 Dusedau Sept. 1, 1896 956,150 Norris Apr. 26, 1910 1,789,472Meany et al Jan. 20, 1931 1,934,478 Bateman Nov. 7, 1933

